Small Business Month is Here!
Between April 20 and June 12 there will be over 120 events for Small Businesses in the Inland NW. There are events in Omak, Wenatchee, Sandpoint, Tri-Cities, Walla Walla, Spokane, and Post Falls. Some events are free, others carry a small fee. Check the calendar often because events are added daily. Event categories include:
Start up/Business plans
Money/Taxes
Marketing/International Trade
Innovation and Technology
Operations Management
Procurement
Events and Awards
More than fifty-five Inland Northwest Organizations participate in Small Business Month activities.
For a daily calendar of events, visit http://www.smallbusinessspokane.org/May2004daily.htm.

Small Business Month Special Marketing Seminars
Marketing to State Agencies: Thursday, May 6 from 9am to noon at the Spokane Area Business Information Center, 801 W Riverside Ave, Suite 240, Spokane. Companies face great challenges in today's competitive marketplace. An effective marketing plan is critical to the success of any business, large or small. A specialist from Washington state's Office of Minority and Women's Business Enterprise (OMWBE) will share tips on how to put marketing to work for you! You will learn how to find and keep customers, how to use marketing tools to increase sales and customer satisfaction, and how to create a Marketing Plan. A planning guide and worksheets are included. Register to attend this FREE seminar by calling the BIC at 509-353-2800.

Demystifying Internet Marketing (Luncheon): Monday, May 10 from 11:30am to 1:30pm at the Spokane Regional Business Center, 1st Floor Conference Room, 801 W Riverside Ave, Spokane. Have lunch with marketing diva Laura Bracken, owner of Design Spike, as she gives you new and creative ways to market your business on-line. This venue is presented by the Inland NW Chapter-NAWBO, Spokane Regional Chamber, Spokane Area BIC, and SCORE. Call the BIC at 509-353-2800 and specify Croissant Sandwich or Veggie Pita when registering. Cost: $20, includes lunch. Net proceeds go into the Judi Williams Fund to provide educational opportunities to women entrepreneurs.

Eastern Washington University 2004 Celebration of Entrepreneurship
Tuesday, May 11, 2004, the College of Business & Public Administration and The Center for Entrepreneurial Activities will recognize its 2004 Entrepreneur of the Year, Debbie Mumm, CEO & Creative Director of Debbie Mumm, Inc. Join Debbie as she shares her entrepreneurial experiences. The breakfast will be at The Davenport Hotel in the Marie Antoinette Ballroom from 7:30-9 a.m. The cost of the breakfast will be $20 per person. Reserved tables of ten are $200. Please make your reservations by May 3. To register or for additional information please call Sharlene Bozanich, College of Business and Public Administration, EWU, 358-2242.

"My e-Post Office"
May 12 Four hands-on sessions offered: "My e-Post Office". Take a walk through the Postal website. Learn how to "Grow Your Business" and "Send Mail & Packages" from the convenience of your office. The class will be by the U.S. Postal Service and held in the computer lab of the BIC, 801 W. Riverside Ave., Spokane, WA. Pre-registration is required. Times available: 9-10am, 10-11am, 12-1pm, and 1-2pm. Class size limited to 6 per session. Cost: Free. To register, e-mail the BIC, call 509-353-2800 or fax in the registration form.

Small Business Month Special Operations and Management Seminars
WA State Workforce Conference-Business Track: Business Services & New Laws, The Washington State Chapter of the International Association of Workforce Professionals (IAWP) will hold its annual educational conference May 12-15 at the Mirabeau Park Hotel and Convention Center in the Spokane Valley.

This year's conference features a half day Business Track on Thursday, May 13, 2004 from Noon to 5pm and focuses on changes to Washington's Unemployment Insurance system and Business services available from the WorkSource staff. Spokane County businesses are projected to receive a more than $5.6 million reduction in unemployment insurance taxes in 2004. In 2005, they will save $10.2 million.

Cost is $45.00 and includes lunch. Registration and payment are due by May 7, 2004. For more information, call Don Ott at (509) 532-3030 or Sue Butters at (509) 532-3134 at WorkSource Spokane. Send checks and registration forms to: Don Ott, Program Chair, 130 S Arthur, Spokane, WA 9920.

Slick Tricks & New Tricks of Hackers: Low Tech Attacks
Is your network safe from hackers? Does your business know low cost and effective ways to manage data security? Did you know that how you place your computer screen can give hackers access to your information, or that how easily others can access your unsecured wireless network and compromise sensitive data?
TINCAN's 10th Anniversary Breakfast Event
Tuesday, May 25
7:15 a.m. - 9 a.m.
Ridpath Hotel
$15/person before May 20; $18 at the door.
Keynote speaker: Chey Cobb
Book Signing after the talk.

Presenter Chey Cobb, former Chief of Computer Security for the National Reconnaissance Office (NRO), is the author of two books on network security: Network Security for Dummies and the recently released Cryptography for Dummies. She writes a weekly on-line column "Safe and Sound in the Cyber Age" that explains security issues in plain language for everyday computer users. Now an independent security consultant, Ms. Cobb advises small to medium size companies on Risk Analysis, Security Policies and Procedures, Security Architecture, and Risk Management. For more information, contact TINCAN, 509-744-0972, or register online.

"He said, She said "Communication vs. Confrontation"
Thursday, May 20, Noon - 2pm, Telect, 2111 N. Molter Road, Liberty Lake, WA 99019 (use West Entrance.). Lunell Haught, Haught Strategies will be the speaker for a luncheon jointly sponsored by the Inland NW Chapter-NAWBO, Spokane Valley Chamber, Spokane Area BIC and SCORE. Haught is speaking on how gender affects the mediation and conflict resolution process. Cost: $20, includes lunch. Please specify Croissant Sandwich or Veggie Pita when registering. Net proceeds go into the Judi Williams Fund. For more information or to register call the BIC at 509-353-2800, or you can register by filling out the Registration Form online.

Intelligent Community Forum
Spokane has been selected by the Intelligent Community Forum (ICF), along with six other communities world-wide, to compete for the title of Intelligent Community of the Year. The communities will be assessed in five areas. These include broadband infrastructure, education and training, digital democracy, innovation, and the marketing of the community as a digital community. E&B DATA of Montreal, Canada has been mandated by the ICF to conduct the final evaluation of the communities. To compete, Spokane must complete and submit answers to a five-part questionnaire. The number one most intelligent community in the world will be announced by the ICF in June.